Every year, billions in donations move through the Benevity platform. Every nonprofit that receives those funds must meet a set of requirements centered on security and compliance.
Background: Why eligibility requirements exist
Moving charitable funds comes with legal and regulatory requirements. Regulations at the international, national and state levels are regularly changing, financial fraud becomes more sophisticated through developing technology, and corporate and employee giving programs must withstand ever more sophisticated scrutiny. These dynamics inform Benevity’s bar for managing our security and compliance posture.
A nonprofit organization's eligibility on the Benevity platform is governed by regulatory and compliance requirements, defined in conjunction with the foundations Benevity works with, their auditors and applicable financial laws and regulations across each applicable jurisdiction. This framework determines which nonprofit organizations can receive donations through the Benevity platform — while preserving as much donor and client choice as possible. Beyond this framework, clients may apply further eligibility criteria dependant on their own program parameters.
Nonprofit eligibility criteria
Eligibility at the individual nonprofit level is regularly reviewed. Benevity maintains a remediation and appeals process for organizations seeking a re-assessment of their eligibility based on a Terms of Use or misuse-of-funds determination.
How Benevity responds when a nonprofit’s platform eligibility is in question
If a concern arises about a nonprofit's eligibility, Benevity follows a standard process:
- Pause: Disbursements to the nonprofit are paused while Benevity looks into the matter. During this time, donors may still engage with the organization through the platform but those funds are held until the conclusion of the review period.
- Review: Benevity conducts a review of the situation and concern.
- Resolve: If the nonprofit no longer meets eligibility requirements, they are removed from the platform and all held funds are returned per our funds that cannot be delivered process. If the matter is resolved, eligibility is reassessed promptly.
Client Controls: Companies decide what fits their program
Meeting the eligibility baseline means an organization appears in the Benevity platform. It does not mean the organization appears in every client’s program. Each company using Benevity decides which eligible nonprofits to include in its own programs, and may apply additional criteria or third-party data sources at its discretion.
Learn more
For the terms that govern nonprofit participation on the Benevity platform, see the Causes Terms of Use.
Questions about eligibility? Contact Benevity support via the Help Center.